Round 2? York ?facing decline as heritage saved at expense of enterprise?

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[FONT=&quot]This is the original press release that we sent. We make no reference to heritage [/FONT]
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Chamber: Ambitious Development Is Crucial to Success of York Economy

Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber is warning that York’s cautious attitude to development threatens the city’s long-term growth and competiveness.

The Chamber believes that York, despite its current affluence, will face substantial challenges if it prohibits development plans that will generate jobs and wealth for the local economy and that objections to ambitious construction projects are symptomatic of the city’s desire for preservation.

The announcement from the Chamber is in reaction to the opposition surrounding the expansion of York St John. Whilst the business group supports plans for further consultation into the sale of the car park, it believes that there must also be a wider-debate into how York reforms its approach to development and planning to support projects that deliver substantial employment and economic benefits.

Two of the city’s major employers, CPP Group and IOKO, also support the Chamber’s calls for more ambitious development plans to take place in York.

Shaun Watts, director of Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber, says:

“Studies show that York faces substantial challenges in the aftermath of the recession in terms of employment, economic output and household income and the city is expected to be disproportionately affected by the spending cuts in comparison to the rest of the region. Whilst places like Leeds, Harrogate and Wakefield will see an increase in net employment between now and 2015, York is currently forecasted to experience a decline, which is largely due to the city’s reliance on the public sector for job creation.

“As a result, we cannot afford to become complacent. We have to show the rest of the UK and the world that we are open for business and an excellent place to invest. It is fundamental that the city grasps ambitious development opportunities that will act as a catalyst for economic growth and future job creation, as well as benefit the local construction industry. We need to aim towards bigger and better things and put aspiration before preservation”.

Stephen Kennedy, chief operating officer at CPP, says:

“York is a fantastic place to work, live and own a business, but in order to remain competitive we have to demonstrate that we are pro-business, pro-development and pro-growth”.

Allan Dunn, chief financial officer at IOKO, says:

“In challenging economic times, cities need to be able to take bold decisions to secure long-term economic growth. York is no longer just competing on a regional and national level. We are now rivalling places such as China for investment and attracting skilled workers. As a result, York has to progress and expand and take proactive decisions to achieve this”.

ENDS

For more information please contact Hayley Johnson on 0113 247 0000/07812 346082

Notes to Editors

The challenges facing the York economy are raised in the Yorkshire Forward report Rebalancing the Yorkshire & Humber Economy - Challenges and Opportunities
Key findings from the Report include:

? [FONT=&quot]Public sector job growth and the proportion of the workforce employed in that sector varies greatly across the region. Thus the impact of spending cuts will not be uniform and some local authority areas, like Sheffield, Hull, York and Hambleton, could be disproportionately affected.[/FONT]
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? York, alongside Hull and Sheffield, performs the worst the Yorkshire in terms of district output.

? York fares the worst in terms of income change per household based on job cuts, forecast growth and household income – almost ?600.

? York would lose the highest amount of household discretionary income at ?8 per week,

? Total employment change (full time equivalents) will fall 2% between 2009 – 2015 in York

? [FONT=&quot]Overall, the private sector in areas like Craven, Richmondshire, North Lincolnshire, Selby, Rotherham and Leeds is expected to create enough jobs to more than offset the contraction in the public sector. However, this will not be the case in areas like Sheffield, York, North East Lincolnshire, Barnsley and Hull.[/FONT]
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[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Hayley Johnson[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Press & Corporate Communications [/FONT]